Letchworth Village

Built in 1908 for the "feeble minded and epileptics," the Eastern New York State Custodial Asylum was eventually renamed "Letchworth Village Home for the Feeble Minded and Epileptics," after William Pryor Letchworth, a philanthropist. The facility was meant to be a departure from normal hospitals of the time symbolizing a "village" setting.

In 1971 Geraldo Rivera won a Peabody Award for his documentary about both Letchworth and Willowbrook Asylums called "The Last Great Disgrace". It depicted overcrowding and undesirable living conditions. It prompted a dismantling of the institution. Eventually residents were placed into group homes and the facility completely closed in 1996. Personal accounts from both doctors and nurses that worked at Letchworth Village when the shut down occurred, described the residents as being devastated by the changes that took place.

Here is what became of the village.